Recaps

Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin uncover that Nanny Rong has been forced to protect a surviving member of the Xiao Family, while rumors and new suspicions swirl around their household. The arc ends with Tang Zhuyun seeing the Xue Family off as the Prince of Jin continues investigating.

• Tang Zhuyun became suspicious of Nanny Rong, while Xiu'er learned from Nanny Jing that Nanny Rong was devoted to the old madam and warned Tang Zhuyun to be cautious of her.
• At the Mid-Autumn palace banquet, the empress urged Tang Zhuyun to treat Zong Heng’s injured leg, but Tang Zhuyun refused and Zong Heng later approached her privately with an offer.
• After Qin Li accused Tang Zhuyun of exchanging love tokens with him, Nanny Rong was poisoned and swallowed gold, and Tang Zhuyun staged her death to draw out whoever was behind it.
• The Prince of Jin returned, trusted Tang Zhuyun, and helped her pretend she had quarreled with him so the hidden instigator would reveal themselves.
• Tang Zhuyun and her family suspected surviving members of the Xiao Family were involved, and she learned Nanny Rong had been pretending to be delirious to protect a former Xiao Family master.
• The Prince of Jin sent Nanny Rong to an estate outside the capital, while rumors spread that Tang Zhuyun had driven her to her death and Qiao Qiao and Qiao Jiao caused a disturbance over Yanran’s kite.
• Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin considered whether Qiao Geng had influenced Nanny Rong, while the Prince of Jin continued his investigation without telling the emperor the truth.
• Tang Zhuyun took Yanran and Linlin to see the Xue Family off, where Old Madam Xue urged her to write and visit Shulan.

Tang Zhuyun and the Prince of Jin navigated palace suspicions, family intrigues, and a plot involving Qiao Qiao while considering the danger surrounding his mother’s death. The arc ended with Tang Zhuyun visiting Great Xiangguo Temple, where Yanran reunited with Cui Xiaoqiu.

• Tang Zhuyun declined to strike Qin Li and accepted his apology, then examined him and helped Madam Qin discover that a relative had secretly prevented Qin Li from conceiving.
• Tang Zhuyun claimed to be pregnant to avoid Consort De’s palace invitation, set aside her contraceptive medicine, and shared the Prince of Jin’s birthday night after their bed collapsed.
• After Yanran accidentally pulled Cui Xiaoqiu into the water, the two became friends, while the Prince of Jin privately asked Linlin whether he would leave the capital with his family.
• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that Qingfeng’s information suggested the Xiao Family had rebelled, and she promised to stand by him even if he was wrong.
• Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er used Qiao Qiao’s ambition to draw her into a scheme, but Qiao Geng intervened and quickly arranged Qiao Qiao’s engagement to the officer at Guang'an Gate.
• The Prince of Jin said he suspected he had overlooked something about his mother’s death and warned Tang Zhuyun to stay alert when Director Li visited, as Wang Chunqiu had entered the palace to treat the emperor.
• The emperor ordered Nanny Rong to enter the palace and teach the Ninth Princess, and the Prince of Jin agreed to send her.
• Tang Zhuyun, Meng Yulan, and Yanran traveled to Great Xiangguo Temple with Jiaojiao hidden in a chest, where Yanran greeted Cui Xiaoqiu, who had come with his mother to hear Master Hong'en lecture.

After an attack on Yanran and the Prince of Jin’s clash with Noble Consort Jia, Tang Zhuyun and her allies struggled to protect him from the consequences. The prince remained imprisoned, but Song Jingyang revealed a plan to earn him merit and clear his crimes before he and Tang Zhuyun left the capital.

• Masked attackers wounded Cui Xiaoqiu while targeting Yanran, and Tang Zhuyun treated his poisoned wound as Xue Lie pursued the assassins.
• The Prince of Jin revealed that the emperor had reclaimed the Golden Scale Guard after Xiao Wu’s return, and he and Tang Zhuyun agreed to seek a fief and leave the capital.
• Zhang Zheng lured Tang Zhuyun to Noble Consort Jia, where she fought back before the Prince of Jin arrived and killed the palace servants involved in restraining her.
• The Prince of Jin confronted Noble Consort Jia over the Xiao Family’s deaths, while Nanxing brought Zhang Zheng’s severed head and Tang Zhuyun’s supposed miscarriage became the public explanation for her injuries.
• Tang Zhuyun learned that the Prince of Jin might lose his rank or be banished, and she considered using Tang Mingfan’s letter to help save him as her household prepared for trouble.
• Nanxing sought Pei Shen’s help after the palace killings, and he agreed to protect her while she returned to the prince’s residence.
• Xiu'er chose to remain with Tang Zhuyun rather than leave for Qingzhou with Song Jingyang, though Nanxing urged her to hear what he had to say.
• Song Jingyang reported that an approaching Xia warrior would challenge the court and that the Prince of Jin could earn merit by facing him, while a familiar opponent would help make the prince’s defeat convincing.

As Song Jingyang and Xiu'er prepared for his departure, Tang Zhuyun and Nanxing uncovered doubts about the Prince of Jin’s parentage and became entangled in Qiao Jiao’s escape. Nanxing and Pei Shen confronted their past and her false miscarriage, while Pei Shen moved to support the Prince of Jin, leaving Song Jingyang due to depart for Qingzhou in three days.

• Song Jingyang and Xiu'er agreed to marry before he left for Qingzhou, but Xiu'er learned she might be unable to have children after taking medicines as a Xiao Family death warrior.
• Tang Zhuyun heard Qiao Jiao’s account that Noble Consort Jia had called the Prince of Jin a bastard, and she arranged for Song Jingyang to investigate Sun Jun.
• Song Jingyang and Xiu'er married quietly, while Tang Zhuyun learned that Qin Sang had found safety in the Xu residence and the Prince of Jin returned temporarily from prison.
• The Prince of Jin told Tang Zhuyun that the emperor had settled their departure from the capital, and he shared her doubts about Noble Consort Jia’s connection to Xiao Wu.
• Nanxing killed the armed men holding Qiao Jiao at the Marquis of Guanjun’s residence, then helped her return to the prince’s residence and arranged to retrieve Sun Jun’s body.
• After Pei Shen was injured in a fire while saving a chest of Nanxing’s belongings, Nanxing found their repaired bracelet among his keepsakes and later faked a miscarriage after a confrontation with the guards.
• Pei Shen told Nanxing he had avenged their child by dealing with Qiao Geng and Wang Chunqiu, and Nanxing eventually confessed that the miscarriage was staged and that she had used pigeon blood.
• Pei Shen admitted he had known about Nanxing’s deception and had acted ahead of the Prince of Jin’s plans, then Song Jingyang arrived at night to check on Nanxing before preparing to leave for Qingzhou.